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Although several special-order 2+2s had been produced in the 1950s, the 250 GTE was Ferrari’s first true production 2+2, and it enabled them to widen their potential market and compete directly with Aston Martin, Maserati and Facel Vega. The new 2+2 would bring for the first time wide-scale production, with 953 examples in total, across three model variants, being produced between 1960 and 1963. It is widely recognized that fewer than half of the original GTE models have survived, as Read More

Being a part of the collector car world offers a multitude of experiences, from the grand to the familiar. During the past month, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of the absolute high end of the collector car world, which included watching the car-as-art Maserati Boomerang sell as a part of the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille Concours. I’ve also had the opportunity to go back to my personal roots and experience how I got started with Read More

The Lotus Seven is a small, simple, lightweight two-seater open-top sports car produced by Lotus Cars (initially called Lotus Engineering) between 1957 and 1972. It was designed by Lotus founder Colin Chapman, and has been considered the embodiment of the Lotus philosophy of performance through low weight and simplicity. The original model was highly successful, with more than 2,500 cars sold, partly because of its attraction as a road-legal car that could be used for Clubmans racing, but mainly because Read More

Styling for the “Slantnose” 911 Turbo came from the legendary Porsche 935 race car. This factory option was executed on the raw body shell, allowing Porsche’s anti-corrosion warranty to be retained. Included in the price of $23,244 were sloped front fenders, retractable headlamps and air vents to ensure efficient cooling for the brakes and engine. Mechanicals, including the 3.3-liter engine and 4-speed transmission, are identical to regular production Turbos of the era.

The early 1970s were landmark years for BMW, for not only did the German manufacturer power Jean-Pierre Jarier to the European Formula 2 Championship, it also captured the European Touring Car Championship using one of the most iconic racing saloons of modern times: the 3.0 CSL, known popularly as the Batmobile.

BMW had returned to 6-cylinder power for its range-topping models in 1968 with the launch of the 2500 and 2800 saloons. Also new was the 3.0 CSL’s forerunner, the Read More

This B24 S Spider America had been ordered new by the West Coast Lancia distributor, the now-legendary Kjell Qvale, to be sold out of his San Francisco-based British Motor Car distributorship. Qvale is believed to have sold chassis 1138 to one of the top managers in his organization, Mr. Robert G. Gillespie.

Smart businessmen, both Qvale and Gillespie understood the meaning of the term “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday,” and realized that entering the rare Lancia Spider in sports Read More

The S7 Twin Turbo presented here stands out from the rest of S7 production for several reasons. Primarily, it was the first S7 to be fitted with the Competition Package upgrade, and according to Saleen, it is one of only two such cars to produce 1,000 horsepower via increased turbocharger boost and revised engine mapping. This is the highest specification possible, greater even than the 850 horsepower of their competition-spec cars.

A new set of players ran onto the Monterey Peninsula this August. They were young, cocky, and didn’t give a rip about what we baby boomers thought they should buy or what they should spend. These guys in their 30s and their 40s reminded me of confident baseball players during their first season in the majors. They were going to show their elders a thing or two about playing the game.

The history of 956003, and the Porsche 956 program at large, can be tracked back to 1981. That year, the FIA began to roll out regulations for its new Group C category for sports car racing, designed to replace both Group 5 (closed touring prototypes like the 935) and Group 6 (open sports car prototypes like the 936) for the 1982 racing season. Porsche immediately responded to the challenge and set to work designing a completely new car that could Read More

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